19 Kids and Counting (formerly 17 Kids and Counting and 18 Kids and Counting), rendered graphically as 19 Kids & Counting in its onscreen logo, is an American reality television show on TLC. The show is about the Duggar family, which consists of parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children—nine girls and ten boys (including two sets of twins), all of whose names begin with the letter "J". Since the show began, three of the children have gotten married, with the eldest raising three of his own and another expecting her first child.

The series began on September 29, 2008. Season ten began on February 17, 2015.[1]

The Duggars live in Tontitown, Arkansas, and originally appeared in several TLC and Discovery Health one-hour specials, mostly focused on four of Michelle's last five deliveries.[2][3][4] Jim Bob Duggar has an older sister, Deanna, who occasionally appears on the show. Michelle Duggar has six siblings. The couple met in the early 1980s when Jim Bob Duggar and a fellow church member were sent for a follow-up visit after Michelle Duggar experienced a religious conversion.[5] Jim Bob and Michelle were married on July 21, 1984.[6]

The Duggars chose to wait before having children and used birth control pills in the early years of their marriage. Their eldest child, Josh, was born in 1988. They resumed using oral contraceptives after Josh's birth but conceived again despite this precaution. Michelle miscarried that pregnancy. Michelle has mentioned that they named that child Caleb, despite not knowing the baby's sex for certain.[7] The Duggars believed the miscarriage was due to their use of contraceptives, and decided to stop using birth control. They decided to "allow God to determine the number of children they would have."[8] Michelle soon became pregnant again, this time with her first set of twins, Jana and John-David. Michelle has given birth approximately once every year and a half since the decision to stop contraceptive use.

The Duggars are devout Independent Baptists[9] and are adherents of the Christian patriarchy movement.[10] In accordance with their beliefs, they watch only what they consider to be wholesome family television on DVD and various historical events. Their Internet service is filtered.

They adhere to certain standards of modesty in clothing in accordance with their religious beliefs. Shorts and tank tops are prohibited, and the women do not wear skirts with a length above the knee. According to Michelle, the Duggars feel that exposure of the thighs amounts to "nakedness and shame," and runs the risk of "defrauding" others by encouraging lustful thoughts. They avoid beaches and swimming in public to negate the possibility of exposure to other women and "lustful thoughts" by their men.[11] Female family members do not cut their hair short, and males are clean-shaven and short-haired. They practice chaperonedcourtship, instead of typical dating, which includes rules against such things as any physical contact. The suitor must ask permission from the young woman's father before approaching her for a courtship and before proposing to her.

The Duggars use a buddy system to raise their children, in which an older child is assigned to a younger sibling and assists in the latter's primary care. According to Michelle, "They help with their little phonics lessons and games during the day and help them practice their music lessons. They will play with them or help them pick out the color of their outfit that day, and just all of those types of things."[14]

Michelle Duggar won the 2004 "Young Mother of the Year Award" in Arkansas, which is sponsored by American Mothers Incorporated.[15]

Jim Bob Duggar served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002. He was defeated for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate by incumbent Tim Hutchinson in 2002 by a vote of 71,576 to 20,546.[16] He later became a real estate agent and investor. The Duggars' income is derived from rental proceeds of commercial properties they own.[17][18] They live debt-free,[19][20] which Jim Bob Duggar has said is "the fruit of Jim Sammons' Financial Freedom Seminar" which he attended years ago[citation needed]. (Sammons' Seminar is endorsed by IBLP.).

Construction of their 7,000 square-foot (650 square-meter) house began in 2000 when they bought the lot and ordered the frame. Discovery Networks completed it, finding local Arkansas construction workers to donate their skills and time. The home was completed on January 20, 2006. Some of the painting, decorating, furnishings, appliances, and other finishing touches—such as a stocked pantry—were provided by Discovery Networks and corporate sponsors as part of the one-hour television special[18] entitled 16 Children and Moving In.

Michelle gave birth via emergency Caesarean section to Josie Brooklyn on December 10, 2009, three months prematurely. Michelle was rushed to the hospital for gallstones, and when the doctors discovered she had pre-eclampsia, performed an emergency delivery. Josie weighed 1 pound 6 ounces (0.62 kg) at birth. A week after the birth, Michelle reported that Josie was "doing as well as can be expected for a baby at her age. We are taking each hour as it comes." On April 6, 2010, after nearly four months in the hospital, Michelle and Jim Bob were able to take Josie to their rental in Little Rock, while they awaited medical approval to take her home to Tontitown.[21][22]

The Duggars took Josie home to Tontitown for good on June 23, 2010. Michelle said Josie was doing well and weighed about nine pounds.[citation needed] By that December she weighed 15 pounds 12 ounces (7.1 kg).[23]

The couple had discussed the possibility of having more children, with Michelle Duggar saying,

We would love more! I'm 43, almost 44 this September. I know that my mommy years are probably numbered, and I don't know how many more children God will see fit to give me. ... [I]t is something we've been praying about because we do love children. Each child really is a gift and that doesn't mean just our children. We asked the Lord to give us a love of children the way He loves children. That is something that we've prayed about, and we'll just see what the Lord has in store for our family in the future.[24]

On December 2, 2008, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's book The Duggars: 20 and Counting! was released.[25] Their second book, A Love That Multiplies, was released on June 7, 2011.[26]

On November 8, 2011, Michelle Duggar and family appeared on NBC's Today Show to announce that she was expecting their 20th child.[27] On December 8, 2011, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar announced that she had miscarried.[28] Six days later, they held a memorial service for the stillborn baby girl that they named Jubilee Shalom (which means celebration and peace).[29][30]

A few months after the birth of their daughter, Mackynzie, Josh and Anna learned that she was pregnant with their second child, but the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.[31] On Mackynzie's first birthday, Josh and Anna announced they were expecting again, and the baby was a boy. The couple welcomed their second child, Michael James, on June 15, 2011. They learned that they were pregnant again in September 2012, right after the family's return from their Asia trip.

Josh and Anna announced that they expect their fourth child on December 2, 2014.[33] On March 2, 2015, they reported that this baby is a girl, due in early July 2015.[34]

The Duggars issued an announcement that Jessa Duggar was in a courtship with Ben Seewald on September 18, 2013. The couple met through their church and were "enjoying getting to know each other and are recommending sermons to one another."[35][36]

On August 15, 2014, after eleven months of courtship, Ben and Jessa announced their engagement.[37][38] Ben and Jessa were married on November 1, 2014.[39]

Jill's courtship with Derrick Dillard was announced on March 31, 2014. They were introduced by Jim Bob, who told People magazine, "I felt like from the beginning, they had similar personalities and goals. I thought they would hit it off". They became acquainted via supervised Skype and text conversations while Derick was serving as a missionary in Nepal. Jill and Jim Bob traveled to Nepal to meet Derick in person and began a formal courtship in November 2013.[40] The couple announced their engagement on April 9, 2014, after five months of courtship.[41] Derick and Jill were married on June 21, 2014.[42][43]

Jill and Derick announced Jill's first pregnancy on August 20, 2014. The child is due in March 2015.[44] On October 21, they revealed that the baby is a boy.[45]

Anna Renee Duggar (née Keller) – born (1988-06-23) June 23, 1988 (age 26)[citation needed] – married Josh on September 26, 2008.[56] They announced on December 2, 2014 that they are expecting their fourth child due July 10, 2015. On March 2 they announced they were having a girl. [57]

Derick Michael Dillard – born (1989-03-09) March 9, 1989 (age 26)[citation needed] – married Jill on June 21, 2014.[42][43] They are expecting their first child, a boy, due March 24, 2015. Jill and Derick are planning on having the baby late, setting their "second due-date" to April 5, 2015.[44][45]

Appears in several episodes and is featured in A Duggar Leaves Home (where she goes on to pursue a career as a country music artist);[65] sang "Amazing Grace" in the closing credits of the episode of her grandfather's funeral

The most often recurring guests (other than relatives) are the Bates family from Tennessee. Because they are so similar to the Duggars (having 19 kids of their own), they have become close friends. In 2012, there was a spin-off series featuring the Bates family, called United Bates of America. They returned to television with a new show on January 1, 2015 titled Bringing Up Bates.

^"Couple welcomes 17th child – and wants more". MSNBC. Archived from the original on August 17, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2007. The Duggars have been featured on several programs on cable television's Discovery Health Network. The next special, the Duggar Family Album, is scheduled to air next month, according to Jim.

^"’19 Kids And Counting': Which Duggar Is Leaving Home For College?". The Inquisitr. The Inquisitr News. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015. [...] However, they are slightly loosening the tight hold that they have on their kids by allowing 20-year-old Joseph Duggar to attended classes at The Crown College of the Bible in Knoxville, Tennessee. [...]